As a young girl in Englewood, Jordan Angeli dreamed of a professional women’s soccer team in Colorado. 

Angeli went on to play pro soccer until retiring in 2016, but later made her childhood dream a reality as a founder of the grassroots movement For Denver FC, which led to Denver Summit FC becoming the NWSL’s 16th franchise. 

Since the expansion team debuted in March, there have been several surreal and emotional moments for the Colorado native, a minority owner of the club. Angeli, 40, played for Green Mountain High School and Colorado Rush. 

“Rush had touchpoints to the pros,” Angeli said. “I remember those interactions and seeing they are real people with the same dreams I did. I saw it was possible. Proximity to the pros was a game-changer for me, and now I get to hear the same things happening.

“These women are creating a ripple effect that will affect so many girls here. They get to see it in their backyard and to me, that is incredibly special.”

Fans can hear Angeli, a veteran soccer announcer, on the video board at various games at Centennial Stadium, or among the crowd as a supporter of her hometown team.

As the season reaches its halfway point, Angeli reflects on the team’s progress since 2023, when the movement for a pro women’s soccer team in Denver was born. 

How does this season compare to what you visualized for the club?

JA: Expectations and reality are a lot of the time so different. In many ways it has exceeded my expectations. I knew people would latch on to the team, but I never would have imagined 63,000 people at the home opener. Things like that have blown my mind. 

Meeting Rob (Cohen) for the first time, I remember feeling like he was the right guy, and I still feel that way. I see how involved he and his wife, Molly, are, and I could never have imagined an owner like that because that’s not the reality in other NWSL clubs. Things like that have exceeded my expectations and reality has been a lot sweeter in ways than I could have dreamed of. 

Is there one milestone, in particular, that has stuck with you?

JA: The first game of the season at Bay FC. I went with my parents. I played soccer at Santa Clara, so I was surrounded by not just Denver people, but family and Santa Clara people. That game and the franchise’s first-ever goal, the thrill of this dream becoming a reality… that was a really cool moment. 

Of course, Empower (Field at Mile High) was special too. When the team walked out and was announced for the first time, I’ll never forget how loud it was. It was just incredible. 

What was your reaction to the opening of Centennial Stadium? 

JA: I’m such a crier. The first thing I saw was the big lights, and I had tears in my eyes. How cool is it to have the second-ever specific women’s soccer stadium in the world? The stadium is intimate, perfect and loud. The grass is amazing. It’s not a forever home, but it will hold special memories, already has. I  think people latch onto things that are their own.

How does the CommonSpirit Performance Center compare to what you had in the league? 

JA: In the Women’s Professional Soccer League, we had a double-wide trailer as our locker room. We trained on a community turf field. Nothing was ours but the double-wide trailer. With Washington, we had a small locker room, but it was night and day compared to what the Summit has for the better. 

Lindsey Heaps is another Colorado Rush alumna who you’ve known for a long time. What was your role in bringing her home? 

JA: I’ve known Heaps since she was 15. When I was a pro, and she was in high school, she would train with us in the offseason cause she was that good. I was blown away by how special she was. It was a real honor that she chose Denver. She’s a winner and this club will continue to push the limits because she does that everywhere she goes. 

Before For Denver FC, I told her I wanted her on the team when it happens. We were still dreaming, but I was adamant. We’ve been friends a long time, so it’s nice to have that relationship. She’s going to continue to impact the community in big ways because that is who she is.

How have you seen the team develop over the season? 

JA: It’s been cool to watch the team come together. They’ve done a good job building a team from a foundation. The thing about Denver that let me know they would be a good team is how strong the foundation of the group is when it comes to a defensive presence. The roster has a mix of NWSL veterans who know how to win and a few youth players that add vibrancy and spark.  

Even when results don’t come, the ideas are there and I’ve enjoyed watching how Nick (Cushing) has put the team together. All in all, it’s an exciting brand of football. 

Thoughts on Sunday’s game against fellow expansion team Boston?

JA: They are going to want revenge since Boston beat them last time. Both teams have gotten so much better. Boston is a tenacious and aggressive team so it will be an interesting match. Denver has shown they want the ball and want to progress up the field in a stylistic way and Boston is good at disrupting those kinds of things. 

What they’re thinking

General manager Curt Johnson said the Summit’s three-game homestand over the next week is “inevitable” and will be a great opportunity for players to gain experience at home.

“With the footprint of the season and amount of games that need to be played, the men’s World Cup being here this summer and women’s next summer in Brazil, there will be periods of schedule congestion,” Johnson said Friday. “That’s where a deeper roster comes in.”

With the transfer window closing Sept. 7, Johnson says the club plans to be active and continue to evolve the roster. 

“It’s difficult in the middle of the year to add players, especially when you feel good about the group you’ve got,” Johnson said. “That’s not to say we won’t add a player or two.”

What I’m hearing

Summit rookie midfielder Devin Lynch is grateful to be the club’s first contract extension after signing through the 2028 season. Lynch, who played four years at Duke University, is one of three rookies in the league to start every match this season. 

“It’s so humbling. I have so much gratitude, so grateful for my teammates and coaches for putting belief in me,” Lynch said Friday. “I’ve been working hard and giving it my all every day and have been rewarded on the field. I’ve been adapting well, and my teammates pushing me in practice has helped too.” 

What I’m seeing

• The 2027 NWSL season will start in February, about a month earlier than previous years, ahead of the Women’s World Cup next summer. That means preseason will begin in early January, with playoffs going through the weekend before Thanksgiving, according to The Athletic. 

• Gotham FC defender and USWNT player Emily Sonnett underwent surgery and will miss the rest of the 2026 NWSL season, the club announced Friday. The surgery is to repair the ruptured tendon in her left knee after suffering the injury in last week’s draw with the Portland Thorns.